ISTANBUL (Reuters) Turkey expects to complete within a week to 10 days a dossier requesting the extradition from the United States of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused by Ankara of masterminding a failed coup, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday (July 23).

Cavusoglu told private broadcaster NTV in an interview the link between soldiers involved in the July 15 abortive coup and Gulen’s extensive network of followers was “very clear,” adding that Turkey would do all it could “politically and legally” to secure the extradition of the reclusive cleric.

Gulen, 75, denies any involvement in the coup attempt. The United States has said Turkey, a NATO ally, needs to provide clear evidence of Gulen’s involvement in the coup before it can extradite him. Lawyers say the process could take many years.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; writing by Gareth Jones)

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